Patients lying on wet sheets for prolonged periods are more likely to develop decubitus ulcers (pressure sores) and/or nosocomial infections (hospital acquired infections). Both of these pathologies are reported as leading causes of accidental death in healthcare facilities and are identified by some government organizations and insurance companies as preventable medical errors.
Hospital mattresses form a platform for delivering acute and long-term care to patients. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to mattress specifications, including their ability to comfortably support a recumbent or semi-recumbent patient, prevent pressure sores, stabilize patients after surgery, reduce the risk of rolling off the mattress, and facilitate nursing management of the patient during toileting and sponge bathing. The mattress surfaces are constructed to be impenetrable to body fluids so that the mattress inner core, which is normally comprised of foam materials, does not become contaminated.
To avoid spreading an infection to the next patient lying on the mattress, hospitals typically wipe the mattress surface with a cloth soaked in an antiseptic solution. The antiseptic solution is formulated to kill infectious organisms, but the recommended cleaning procedure requires the mattress to air-dry between patients. In some instances, the next patient arrives before the air-drying has been completed. Transport beds are particularly susceptible to this problem since patients are sometimes exposed to mattresses that are never cleaned between patient uses.
Wiping a mattress surface with an antiseptic cloth can leave a residue of dried human exudates or excrements on the mattress surface. The next wet sheet can create a pathway for infectious organisms to reach the mattress surface. If the mattress is coated with years of exudates and excrements from prior patients, the infectious organisms will be more likely to proliferate and infect the patient via open wounds or catheters. Some patients remain exposed to wet sheets for long periods of time, which increases their probability of acquiring infections or pressure sores. Caregivers are expected to check on their assigned patients to minimize each patient's exposure time to body fluids, but increased demands imposed on caregivers sometimes makes this monitoring task very difficult. Too often, patients remain exposed to body fluids for longer periods of time than the expected standard of care.
Each year, many patients experience increased hospital stays, poor health outcomes, or die, as a result of nosocomial infections. The prevalence of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, such as S. aureus and C. difficile, is increasing dramatically in both clinical and homecare settings making the current mattress cleaning methods ineffective and hazardous. Pressure sores develop from complex mechanical, micro vascular and pathological conditions interacting to cause histological breakdown of the skin. Exposure to body fluids increases the probability of both pressure sores and infections in a time-dependent fashion. Serious problems arise when attendants are unable or unwilling to frequently check on their patients.
Body fluids are electrolytic solutions that can be detected using conductive leads immersed in the body fluids. However, a major problem occurs when a conductive lead becomes fractured or when a connector device is improperly connected. The fractured lead or inoperative connector does not allow detection of the body fluid and thus provides a false negative indication. This equipment failure increases the time that the patient is exposed to body fluids, which is precisely what the electronic monitoring is supposed to prevent.